THE CREATORS BEHIND MANSA

David Oyelowo, a multiple Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Emmy-nominated actor and producer, is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents.

In 2014, Oyelowo gained international acclaim starring as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ava DuVernay’s SELMA. For his performance, Oyelowo earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Male Lead and the film received an Oscar nomination for Best Motion Picture of the Year.

Oyelowo recently made his directorial debut with the critically-acclaimed, THE WATER MAN, released domestically by RLJE Films and internationally by Netflix in Summer 2021. He also produces under his company Yoruba Saxon, which he founded in 2014 with his wife, Jessica. Yoruba Saxon is focused on creating value-based content, across all platforms and for all quadrants, with an aim to shift the culture and color outside the lines. As an artist and filmmaker, David is committed to expressing his love of storytelling and passion for people through entertainment for a global audience.

Nate has dedicated his life to using the moving picture to create positive and sustainable change in his community.

As a director, actor, screenwriter, producer and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the film industry, Nate has delivered more than $400 million in global box office revenue, including developing, producing, writing, directing and starring in the Sundance winning film Birth of a Nation, which he sold for $17.5 million in a record shattering deal to Fox Searchlight.

Prior to co-founding Mansa, Nate founded MiTi, a direct-to-consumer telecoaching platform, as well as the Nate Parker Foundation, a non-profit organization’s mission is to use the cinematic arts to confront systemic crises and disparities within the African and African American communities.

Beyond film and tech, Nate Parker is a husband, father and outspoken advocate for racial equality, dedicating much of his time to closing the opportunity gap for boys and young men of color.

Zak Tanjeloff is an entrepreneur and angel investor focused on entertainment, finance and technology and based in NYC. Previously, he built and sold companies across a variety of verticals including e-commerce, content/entertainment, and mobile software development.

After co-founding DLP Mobile (2009) and BD Health Labs (2012), Zak made his way into the entertainment industry where he founded Tiny Giant Entertainment, and oversaw development of the film THE BIRTH OF A NATION. The film went on to win both the Audience and Grand Prize Awards at 2016 Sundance film festival. Subsequently, he produced American Skin, winner of the Sconfini prize at the Venice Film Festival, which released as #1 in the United States and grossed more than 7-times its budget at the box office.

Most recently, Zak built a $50 million credit fund in partnership with Silverpoint Capital, specializing in loans within the entertainment economy, including sports, film and TV. He is an active angel investor and advisor and has worked with companies like Dollar Shave Club, Rappi, RealtyShares, AdHawk, SambaTV, Klarna, Coterie and more, and holds certifications in Blockchain and Cyrpto

Upon embarking on a career as an artist and activist, Chiké achieved a number of milestones in British Theater, Film and Television before relocating to the States in 2013, performing in Julius Caesar for the Royal Shakespeare Company in New York.

As a brand ambassador for One United Bank–the largest Black-owned bank in the U.S.– Chiké educates and advocates for Black banking in our communities. He has worked with the Children’s Defense Fund to help eradicate child poverty and facilitates a Restorative Justice course for system impacted men at California State Prison. He is also a member of the esteemed Master Artist’s Council of the Arthur Miller Foundation.

His artistry has been closely aligned with his activism in the US, appearing in such varied titles as Sundance winner THE BIRTH OF A NATION to BET hit and audience favorite BEING MARY JANE.

Okonkwo can currently be seen on screens in the number one new drama on network TV, LA BREA for NBCUniversal.